Urban Farm-acology

The Urban Political Ecology of Hackney City Farm

InitialEstablishmentHackneyCityFarm,imagefromHackneyCityFarmWebsite

SO 452 Urban Environments, Lent Term 2010

Alexandra Payne
Payne2010

TheUrbanenvironmentisarelationalconcept,withnecessarilysubjectiveandmoralvalues
attachedtoitscreation.Urbanpoliticalecology(UPE)isaframeworkthatcanbeusedtoexplore
thesevaluesandexplainthemetabolismsbetweenhumanbeingsandtheurbanenvironmentthey
createandlivein.(Heynenetal.,2006)UPElooksatthepoliticalandsocialrelationsthatgovern
therighttothecityandtherightofaccesstoproductivenaturalspaces.Inthiswayitisalsoan
examinationofthevaluesthatgointoourcreationofnatureandthevaluesthatgetbuiltintoour
physicalspaces.ThisessaywilluseanUrbanPoliticalEcologyframeworktoexplorethesocial,
economic,politicalandspatialprocessesthatcametogethertoformthesocionatureofHackney
CityFarm,andthewayinwhichtheserelationshipscontinuetoshapethefarmanditsmeaning
forthesurroundingcommunity.Historicallythenaturalhasbeenincreasinglyremovedfrom
theurbanandthroughthisprocessincreasinglycontrolledbytherich.Hackneycanbeseenasa
placethatexemplifiesthisseparation,aplacewhereunevengeographicdevelopmenthasgiven
waytosocialandhealthinequalities.InconclusionIwillinvestigateHackneyCityFarm,a
communityrunfarminoneofthemostdeprivedboroughsofLondon,asapotentialremedyfor
someofthesocialailmentscreatedbythisseparation.Asoneoftheremaininglocationsinoneof
thepoorestboroughsofLondonwhereresidentsoflowsocioeconomicstatushavethe
opportunitytointeractwithnatureasagricultural/gardeningland,itspresencepresentsafarm
acologyaspaceforhealingtheriftthathasbeencreatedbetweennatureandsociety,betweenthe
urbansecondnatureandnatureasmanhasimagineditinthepast.

Harveyhaspointedoutthatinourcreationofhumandomains,itishardtoseewheresociety
beginsandnatureends.(Harvey,1993,p.31;28)Whatwecreatethroughourhumansocial
processesisinherentlynaturalinthatitisaculturalrepresentationofoursociety,andthis
processinevitablyleadstoablurringofthedistinctionsbetweentheurbanandnaturalworld.
However,inLondon,thehistoricalsociopoliticalprocessesthathavemoldedthecityintoits

modernglobalformhavecreatedanurbanenvironmentwherethenaturalintheformof
productivelandisincreasinglyremovedfromandcrowdedoutratherthanblendedwithit.
Recently,anumberoffactors,includinganincreasingpopulationandlandvalues(Hackney
Council,2006;2007)anddecreasesinpubliclyavailablelandhavecreatedasituationinHackney
wherenaturespecificallyaccesstoopenspace,andareasforgardening/growingfreshfoods,
andtheotherhealthbenefitsattachedtoopenspaces(consumptionofnutritiousfoods,mental
andpsychologicalwellbeing)hasbecomeincreasinglylimitedforresidentsoflowersocio
economicstatus.Thesocioeconomicconstructionofthecityhasturnednatureintoacommodity,
nolongerapublicgoodavailableforeveryone,essentiallyprivatizingthecommons.Hencethe
unevengeographicdevelopmentbecameaphysicalmanifestationofsocialinequalities

Inanydiscussionofmansrelationtonatureintheformofproductivelandtheheartofthe
discussionnecessarilycentersononefundamentalfacthumanbeingsmusteattolive,without
sufficientfood,andsufficientlynutritiousfoodhumanscannotsurvive.Thereforethemost
immediatevalueofanyformofproductivelandisinitsabilitytosustainhumanlife.Human
bodiesareproducedandreproducedthroughsociometabolicprocessesthatlinktheirexistence
toexternalprocessesthatproducefood.Thesamesociometabolicprocessesthatarethemselves
constitutedthroughrelationsofsocialandpoliticalpowerthroughawideassortmentofcultural
meanings.(Heynen,2006,p.129)

The2006MayorsFoodStrategyforLondonshowedthatalthoughLondonersbenefitfromthe
availabilityofacomplexfoodnetworkthatsupportstheimmensefoodneedsofthegrowingcity,
theseneedsaremetunevenly,especiallyinlowerincomeneighbourhoodandinmanypartsof
Londonpeoplestruggletoaccessaffordable,nutritiousfood.(MayorofLondon,2006,p.3)These
strugglesthenresultintheunevenexperienceofillhealthamongdifferentsocioeconomicclasses

andethnicities.ThishasbeenhighlightedbybothGarrets2005casestudyofLondon,andthe
morerecent2009reportATaleofTwoObescities(acollaborativeeffortbetweenLondonand
NewYorkUniversities).Bothsetsofresearchfoundthatnutritionrelatedillhealthforexample,
obesity,diabetes,mentaldistressandillness,andhungerwasmorelikelytobesufferedby
ethnicminorities,thepoorandthedisadvantagedlivinginhighlydeprivedareasofcitieswhere
healthyfoodisoftenneitheraccessiblenoraffordableandphysicalinteractionwithnatureis
constrained.(Freudenbergetal.,2009;Garnett,2005)Heynenhaspointedoutthat,historically
thequantity,qualityandvarietyoffoodpeoplehaveeatenhavebeendeterminedbytheirplace
intheireconomyandtheinstitutionalstructuresinplacewithinthoseeconomiestoproduceand
distributefood.(Heynen,2006,p.124)TheFoodStrategyalsomadethisconnectionnotingthat
thosewithlowersocioeconomicstatuswerelesslikelytoliveincloseproximitytohealthylocal
foodsources.Therefore,improvingLondonershealthandreducinghealthinequalitiesdepends
onincreasingsupportforlocalproducers,andtherebyensuringasecureandsafelocalfood
supplyforthedeprived.(MayorofLondon,2006)

ConnectedwiththisideaisMarxsunderstandingofsocietyandhumanhistoryasaproductionof
manslabour.HeexplainsthatMenmustbeinapositiontoliveinordertobeabletomake
historyThefirsthistoricalactisthustheproductionofthemeanstosatisfytheseneeds,the
productionofmateriallifeitself.(MarxinSwyngedouw,2006,p.24)Itfollowsthen,thathewho
controlsthemeansofproducinglife(productiveland)controlstheproductionofhistory,andalso
thefurtherdevelopmentoftheurbanlandscape.Separationfromthelandisthereforedetrimental
toanindividualsimmediatehealth,butalsoaffectstheirfutureabilitytointeractandprocess
spaceinamannerofoneschoosing.Furthermore,ourunderstandingofthehumanbiological
processesofmetabolizingfoodgoeshandinhandwiththeirinteractionwithproductivespaces.
AsMichelleObama,JamieOliver,andawholeotherlonglistofpoliticalfiguresandrestauranteurs

cumfoodpioneershavenotedinthefightagainstbothfoodpovertyandobesityamongschool
childreninboththeUSandEngland.Asaresult,thoseinlowerincomeneighbourhoods,cannot
identifynaturalfoods,tellthedifferencebetweenvegetablesanddonotknowwheretheirfood
comesfromorhowitgrows.Inthiswaywecanseethatthevalueofconnectiontoproductive
landgoesbeyondtheimmediatenecessityoffoodtotheseparationofanunderstandingofthe
importanceandvalueofthatfoodandthemeansofconnectingwiththisresource.

AHistoricalSeparationofProductiveLandfromthePoor
TounderstandhowthedisadvantagedofHackneycametobeexcludedfromnatureitisimportant
tounderstandthattherearehistoricallyspecificdimensionsto[any]urbanexperience(Gandy,
2006,p64.)andthatthesesociopoliticalhistoriesarebasedonspecificvalues.Gandypointsout
that,natureisevokedasanideologicalandmetaphoricalschemafortheinterpretationofreality
(Gandy,2006,p.65).Inmodernhistory,thecityhasbeenpittedagainstnaturewiththelatter
beingviewedinstrumentallyasasetofrawmaterialstoaidinmansprogress.(Barry,1999)
Duringtheindustrialera,withtheintensificationofcapitalism,naturewasastoreofraw
materialsforhumaneconomicpurposesandthismeantthatthosewhocontrolledithadtheright
toitsexploitationfortheirproductiveneeds.Whennaturebecamenothingmorethanatoolfor
mansprofitandmanipulationitledtoadisregardforthedestructionofnature,whichinturn
causedcitiestobecomeincreasinglypolluted.Citieswereperceivedtoresideoutsidethenatural
order(Gandy,2006,p.64)incontrasttothepurityofthecountryside.Thusthecitybecame
secondnature,somethingseparateandasidefromthedirtonwhichthecitywasbuilt.(Barry,
1999)ThisvaluecanbeseeninAbercrombies1940planforLondonscontinuedurban
developmentwhichrestricteddevelopmentwithinagreenbelt(Thomas,1963)tokeeptheurban
fromencroachingonnature,butalsohadtheeffectoflimitingaccesstothisspacetothosewith
privatetransportation.Withinthecity,naturewasalsotobeprotected.Itwasrelegatedto

appropriateandorderlyspacesparksandallotmentstowhichaccesswaslimited.Inthisway,
landwithproductivevaluewascutofffromfreepublicaccess.GardenCityplannerssuchas
EbenezerHowardunintentionallyreinforcedthisseparationofthepoorfromnaturewiththe
creationofpristineneighbourhoodsbuiltinsuburbanareas.Althoughplannedforthepoor,these
areaswerealsoplannedaroundprivatetransportandasaresultwerecooptedbytheupper
classes,furtherconfiningthepoortotheinnercity.AsEngelspointedout,powerliesinthe
handsofthosewhoown,directlyorindirectly,thefoodstuffsandmeanstoproduction.(Heynen,
2006,p.134)Alongwiththisseparationofmanandnature,cametheseparationofnatureasa
meansofproductionfromcertainclasses.Thesesociopoliticalhistorieshadtheeffectof
restrictinggardenuseandurbanlandcultivationtowealthierclassesbylimitingaccesstoalarge
partofLondonsgreenspacetothosewithprivatetransportation,privategardens,oraccessto
governmentlicensedallotments.

DomeneandSaurinotedanimportanttensionbetweencitiesincreasingenvironmentalism,the
promotionofgreenidealsandsocialjusticeissuessuchastheprovisionofgardeningareasforthe
underclassesandtheneedforurbangrowth.Theyarguethatvegetablegardenscomplywith
thesustainabilitygoalsthatmanycitiesandtownsarecurrentlypursuingaroundtheworldand
thereforebecomeprotectedandencouraged.[However],theymayposeobstaclestothesteady
advanceofurbanizationandareerasedfromthecitylandscapes.(Domene&Sauri,2007,p.288)
Theyseetheseproductivespacesasscenariosofconflictbetweendifferentsocialgroupsvyingfor
controloftheurbanenvironment.TheseconflictsofclassinterestarealsovisibleinLondon.
Allotmentswereoriginallydevisedtocompensatethepoorfortheprivatizationofthecommons
(thedesireofthewealthytohavemoreformalcontroloftheirproperty).Thisproductiveland
wasformallyprotectedin1908bytheAllotmentActofParliament(Thompson,2007;Garnett
2005),whichformallysetasidelandforthepoorwhocouldnotaffordspaceforgrowingfood.It

wasrecognizedthatthereneededtobesufficientaccesstoproductivelandforthepoorandthis
spacewasmeanttoremainproportionalaspopulationsgrew,withthesuggestioninthe1940s
beingthattherebeatleastfouracresofopenlandforeverythousandcityinhabitants.(Exploring
20thCenturyLondon,n.d.)However,fromthe1950stothelate80stherewasadecreasein
availableallotmentsduetodevelopmentdemandsonland(AllotmentVegetableGrowing,n.d.)
andtheproportionofallotmentsinHackneylongerrepresentsenoughlandtosufficientlyserve
thepopulationinanequitableormeaningfulmanner.Whilethereareover30,000active
allotmentholdersinLondon,(Garnett2005)thereareonly124remainingallotmentplotsin
Hackney(HackneyCouncil,2008a),hometosome212,200people(Ibid.,2010)nowherenear4
acresper1000people.

WhileHackneyhasthehighestacreageofparksofanyLondonborough,itisalsooneofthelargest
boroughsandhassomeofthelowestpercentagesofproductivespaceavailable.(SeeAppendix)
Increasingdemandforhousingandthegentrificationofmanyareasfurtherlimitedtheuseof
urbangreenspaceinHackneytotherichandtheavailabilityofopencommonareasand
communalgardeningareas.Thishasmeantthatthepoorsaccesstoproductivelandremains
limitedandthereforesodoestheiraccesstothementalandphysicalhealthbenefitsthisland
embodies.

TheConstructionofHackneysEnvironment
Traditionally,Hackneywasaworkingclassarea,anditremainsoneofthepoorestboroughsin
London:ithasconsistentlybeenoneofthemostdeprivedboroughsinEngland,rankingsecond
highestin2007,withalmostallitswardsscoringinthe20%mostdeprivedofthecountry(See
Appendix2).Itsresidentsconsistentlyhaveloweraverageincomesperhouseholdthanaverage
Londoners;italsohasthehighestnumberofitsresidentsliveincouncilhousing.(Hackney

Council2008b,2009)Whilethoseinlowersocio
economicgroupscontinuetoliveinHackney,ithas
beguntoattractamuchmoregentrifiedpopulationas
Gustavo,thefarmsEnvironmentalandEnterprise
Managerpointsout:
IlivejustdowntheroadinTowerHamlets.Itsprettysimilarintermsofwealth;both
[areas]areamongthemostdeprivedinLondon.TowerHamletsisquiteBangladeshi,
[while]ethnicallyHackneyisveryTurkishandCaribbean.Theolderwhitecommunity,old
EastEnders,peoplewhoworkedinthefactoriesaremoreworkingclassHackneyhas
probablybenefitedmorefromgentrification.Whichisagoodthingandabadthing,uptoa
point

Interviewer:untilthecommunityhastomoveout

Gustavo:whichhasstartedtohappenImeanthisareawasadump.Butnow[He
gesturestowardsthegentrifiedmotherbabypairsintheCafspace](Payne,2010b)

ThisGentrificationhasaffectedthepoorsaccesstoproductivegreenspaceintwoways.First,as
aresultofchangesinpopulationandspeculation,housingpriceshaverisen184%inthelast10
years.(HackneyCouncil2006;Nationwide,2009)Thishascausedhigherdemandforopenspace
tobedevelopedandcreatedadisincentivefordeveloperstoincludegardens.Itisestimatedthat
overthelast5yearssome7,900acresofgardenandgreenspacewaslostinLondon,mostlydue
tonewdevelopments(Smyth,2009,para.3).Second,housingunitsthatstillincludegardens,or
newerbuildingswithrooftopgardensincludedonpreviouslyopenspace,areoftentooexpensive
forlowerclassresidentsofHackneytoafford.Thesefactorshavedisproportionatelyaffected
Hackneyspoorpopulations,resultinginanunintentionalenvironmentalclassism.AsDomene
andSaurihavepointedout,thekindoflandscapeswecreatearelinkedtowiderissuesofurban
development,urbansustainability,andthesocialpreferencesforcertainurbannaturesover
othersinacontextofrapidurbangrowthandincreasingcompetitionforlandneithersocio
environmentalchangesnorenvironmentalplanningaresociallyorecologicallyneutral.(Domene
&Sauri,2007,p.288)


Inthiswaywecanalsoseethebeginningofabourgeoisieenvironmentalism,wheretherichvalue
accesstogardensandgreenspace,andhaveinfinitelymoreaccesstousingandshapingthese
spacesthroughtheircontrolofcapital.ThiscanbeseeninLondon,wheretheaffluenthaveeasier
accesstolandoutsidethecity,alongwiththebuyingpowertoaffordhousingwithterracegardens
withinthecityandthechoicetoliveinapartmentswithrooftopgardensorothergardeningareas,
thepoordonot.Althoughtherehasbeenafocusonrenewedsustainabilityand
environmentalism,thegreeningofLondonhasyettotrulyaffectLondonspoor,especiallythose
inHackney.

UrbanFarmingasAcology
Havingreviewedthemajorissuesthathaverestrictedtheaccessofthepoortogardeningand
agriculturalspacesinLondon,itisimportanttopointoutanexception.InsouthHackney,atthe
heartoftwoofLondonspoorestboroughsandjustdowntheroadfromthelivelybustleof
BroadwayMarketliesHackneyCityFarms.Onanygivendayyoucanseeaspacealivewithlocal
parentsandtheirchildren,pettingtheanimalsandtakingclassesinthegarden;youngmothers
withstrollerscrowdingnoisilyintothecafrentedoutatthefrontofthepremise;childrenfrom
localschoolslearningaboutsustainabilityandgrowingfood;andvisitorsofallwalksoflife
poppingtheirheadsintoenjoythefruitsofanunlikelyurbanmetabolism.Thefarmitselfis
surroundedbyoneofthemostdeprivedandunderresourcedinnercityareasintheUK,withhigh
levelsofunemployment,manyyoungpeoplenotinschool[nor]employment,(Pounds,2007,
p.6)andwheremanychildrenaresoremovedfromnaturethattheyhaveneverseenfarm
animals.Nordotheyknowwhattheirfoodlookslikeinitsnaturalform,orwhereitcomesfrom.
(Payne,2009a)Thefarmslocationinthemidstofthisareahasmadeitavaluablecommunity
resource;asortofFarmacology,aremedyforthesocialillsembodiedinthehistorically

constructedurbanenvironmentofHackney,whichseparatesethnicminoritiesandlowersocio
economicclassesfromnatureintheformofproductivespacesandthereforefromnumerous
formsofpersonalwellbeing

Acologyisthescienceofremedies(Acology,n.d.)andthatispreciselywhaturbanfarmshavethe
potentialtobe:specificsocionaturesthatcanaidinassuagingthesocialandphysicalailmentsof
society.UrbanFarmingandgardeninghavelongbeenshowntoimproveindividualand
communityhealthandwellbeing(Thompson,2007,p.162).IthasbeenshowninEnglandthat
proximitytogardensandgreenspacesinthecitycanreducesocialandhealthinequalitiesand
thaturbangreenspaceimprovesyourhealth.(Freudenbergetal.,2009;Smythe,2009;)
However,inLondon,itisusuallythemostdeprivedpopulationswhohavetheleastaccessto
spaceforgardeningandurbanfoodcultivationformeaningfulandproductiveinteractionwith
theland,whichbringsalongwithitsocialandhealthbenefits(bothphysicalandmental).Asnoted
abovethehistoricseparationofmenfromnatureintheformofproductiveresourceshasledtoa
stateofphysicalandsocialdetriment.Urbanfarmsgavethepotentialtoremedytheseills.This
ideaseemstohavebeenpickedupinrecentyearsasmanycitiesacrosstheworldhavebegun
focusingonurbanagricultureasameansofreintroducingproductivenatureintourbanfood
desertsinimpoverishedareas.Londonhasrecentlybeguntofocusonhealthyeatingand
lifestyles,andinthe2006FoodStrategyforLondontheMayorsofficehighlightedtheimportance
ofeatingfreshfoodsandoutlinedtheneedtosupportopportunitiesforsmallscalefood
productionforindividualsandcommunities(MayorofLondon)inordertobringhealthyfood
backintotheurbanlandscapeandmakeitlessexpensiveandmoreeasilyaccessibletolower
incomeindividualswhosufferunjustlyfromhealthissuesbroughtonbyfoodinequality(Mayorof
London).Inrecentyearstherehasalsobeenanincreasedinterestinlocaleating,organicfoods,

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sustainability,etc,broughtonbyglobaleffortstoreducecarbonfootprintsandaddressother
environmentalissues.

RelatingwiththeLand
Theidentityofthefarmisinherentlytiedupwithitslocationinaseverelydeprivedarea,its
reclamationofaBrownfieldsiteintheinnercity,itsstatusasalocalruncharityanditsreliance
ongrantsandsocialenterpriseforsurvival.ThevalueofHackneyCityFarmtothecommunity
mustthereforebeunderstoodthroughitssocial,environmental,andpoliticalrelationships,as
identitiesshiftwithachangingcontext,dependantuponthepointofreferenceandcanbe
understooddifferentlydependingonthevantagepointoftheirformationandfunction.
(FriedmaninHarvey,1996,p.7)Theserelationshipswillbeexploredinmoredetailbelow.

Hackneyfarmsspecificlocationisaprimaryentrypointforunderstandingitsvalue.First,it
representsthereunionofsomeofthecitiespoorestandmostdeprivedcitizenswithproductive
landthattheywouldnototherwisehavehadaccessto.Thelocationofthefarminthemiddleof
thecityandattheheartoftwoofLondonspoorestboroughsmakesiseasilyaccessibleto
residentsinanumberofways;itisineasywalkingdistanceformanyofitsvisitorsandclosetoa
numberofpublictransportlinkstotherestofthepopulation.Furthermore,HackneyCityFarmis
freeandopenyearroundtothegeneralpublic:unliketheallotmentsystemthereisnoneedto
applyandwaitforaplottoopenup,nortopayarentalfeetomaintainlicensetousethespace.It
thereforepresentstheopportunityforpeopleofallclassestointeractwithnaturewithoutmany
oftheconstraintsthathavehistoricallylimitedthisinteraction.

Sincetheconstructionoftheurbanenvironmentisarelationalconstructwithmoraland
subjectivevaluesattached.Itmatterswhocreatesenvironmentsbecausethatdictateswhose

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valuesarerepresented.ThelocalcommunitystartedHackneyCityFarmin1984indirect
responsetotheneedsoftheircommunity.AsCharlieputit:

Itwasstartedasacohesionproject.Thepeoplegottogetherandsaid,lookattheurban
environmentwerelivingin,werebringingupawholegenerationofchildrenthathaveno
ideaaboutfood,aboutanimals,aboutanythingbecauseweveallbecomesodivorcedfrom
that.Itsasocialprojectprimarily.(Payne,2010a)

Today,HackneyCityFarmisstillmanagedanddrivenbylocalpeople.Itisacharityandvoluntary
organization,aregisteredenvironmentalbody:itisasocialenterpriseandavibrantcommunity
resource.Itsmainaim,asstatedintheFarmBusinessPlan,is:

Toenhanceandimprovethequalityoflifeforinnercitypeople,especiallythosein
neighbourhoodsandcommunitiessurroundingHackneyCityFarm,byaddressingsocial,
economicandenvironmentalissuesandprovidingappropriateandmuchneeded
educational,training,healthandrecreationalopportunities,withinaframeworkofcity
farmingandlocalenvironmentalimprovement.Toengenderandfosteragreeneco
friendlycommunitywithinahealthyandmuchimprovedareaofLondonwhilstalso
bringingtogetherdisparatecommunitiesinareassurroundingtheFarmaroundtheissues
ofimprovingthequalityoftheirlivesandtheirenvironment.(Pounds,2007,7)

TheFarmwasstartedonbrownfieldlandandhasauniquerelationshipwiththelanditwas
startedon,asbothGustavoandCharliepointedout:
TheFarmsbeenaroundforover25yearsorsoItwasreallyallslumhousinganditgot
clearedandtheymadeapark(Payne,2009a)

TheBoroughowns[theland],whywegetitonsuchgoodterm?Itwasderelictland,andin
the80stheseguyscameinandwerereallyconvertingapieceofdisusedspaceItwasa
brewery,beforethatabuttonfactory[andthen]theareawastotallybombedoutinthe
warInthe80stheymanagedtonegotiatea100yearcontractwiththecouncil(Payne,
2009b)

Thefarmslocationonoldindustriallandisareentry
ofproductivenatureintoapreviouslypolluted
landscape.Asenvironmentalinequalityoftenleads
tosocialinequality,thereforeimprovingthe
environmentalqualityofanareathenhasthe

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potentialtolimitthesocialandenvironmentalinjusticesufferedbythelocalpopulation.

AnotherimportantpartofHackneyCityFarmsrelationshiptotheareaisthelowcosthundred
yearleasetheyobtainedfromthecouncilontheplot(presumablybecausethelandwasan
undervaluedindustrialsite.)Thislongtermleasemeansthatthefarmissomewhatprotected
fromtherisinglandvaluationanddevelopmentpressuresinthearea.Thisallowsthefarmto
resist(atleasttemporarily)thecapitalistforcesthathavecontributedtotheremovalofurban
agriculturalspacesfromthecity.Howeveritdoesntchangethecircumstancesfacingthetarget
beneficiariesofthefarminthesurroundingneighbourhood.Theincreasingrisingpropertyvalue
andrisingrentsintheareameanthatthosewhodonotownarestartingtobepushedout.
Currentlythefeelingofthefarmsworkersisthattheyaresuccessfulinservinglowerincome
familiesinthearea,butgentrificationisanoftaddressedtopic,asCharlieandGustavbothpoint
out,currently:
ThefarmreflectsmuchmoreaccuratelythedemographicoftheareaThelowerincome
families,itspeoplelikethatweareaimingatsomethingthatthefarmwassetupand
managedtostartwithWhenthefarmwasstarteduptherewasnttheyummymummy
demographic,andweareaware,particularlywiththisideaofthisgardenprojectinthe
park,[that]itcouldeasilybegetcooptedbythemiddleclasswhohavethetime,themoney,
arealreadyinterestedingrowingtheirownvegetables(Payne,2009a)

Anotherproblemtheyoftenfaceisthefactthat,evenwiththelowrent,theymuststillfindmoney
toruntheirdailyoperations.AlargepartofthismoneycomesintheformofGrantsfrom
sustainability,Farm,andeducationaltrusts,aswellastheNationalLotteryandanumberof
corporatesponsors.Havingawidebaseisveryimportantasitagainallowsthefarmtobemuch
morestable,however,asChrispointsout,relyingmostlyongrantscanbedifficult:
Itsfindingthemoney[thatstheproblem].Myjobispaidforbythenationallottery.It
paysfortheregularemployeestimeandthingslikeexpenses,butifwewantedtobuilda
greenhouse.thecapitalcostscantcomeoutofthelotteryfunding,youcantbuythings,
capitalthings,thingsyoucanownandsell,soIwonderifvegetablescount?IfIwanttobuy
supplies,howdoIpayforthatitcanbequiteexpensive.Thatsafundingthingforthe

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farmifwewanttogrowfoodtosellproduceenoughfoodtosellitsexpensivesowe
havetofindotherfunding(Payne,2009a)

Theseeconomicconstraintscreateatensionbetweenwhohasthefinalsayovertheactivitiesat
thefarm,aspurchasesmustfallinlinewiththeguidelinesforgrantmoney.However,thishasstill
hadabeneficialside,ithascausedthefarmtoreachouttootherinstitutionsinthecommunity,as
wellasencouragesocialenterprise.Inthiswaytheeconomictensionshavealsobeenbeneficial,
astheyhavecausedthefarmtodeepenitsconnectionswithinothercommunityorganizations.

FoodforThought
WhileHackneyCityFarmtechnicallyconstitutesproductiveland,thefarmdoesnotcurrently
produceenoughfoodtosellyet,andthereforedoesntservethepurposeofprovidingnutritional
benefitstolocals.Althoughtheyhaverestructuredtheoriginalgardenstobemoreproductiveand
plantoopenacommunitygardeninLondonFieldsinabandonedareatogrowcheapproduce,
theirlackofsufficientfoodproductioncallsintoquestionthebenefititsuppliestothelocal
community.However,DomeneandSauridiscussthefactthatassocionaturesgardenshave
physicalandsymbolicmeaningsandthattheirworthgoesbeyondtheirphysicalproductive
capacitytomoralanddiscursiverealmstheyaresymbolsofwhatwevalue,adesiretouseurban
better,thesenseofbeingusefultoothers,areconnectionwiththeland.InthiswayHackneyCity
Farmsprovidesanumberoffurtherbenefittomembersoflowersocioeconomicgroups.They
offerjuniorandadultgardeningcoursesandruneducationalprogramsonsustainability,eating
locally,andgrowingvegetablesforlocalschools.Theseprogramsprovideinteractionwithnature
andagriculturetosomeofthepoorestchildreninHackney,manyofwhodonothaveaccesstoany
sortofgardenintheirhomes,ortoagriculturallandoutsidethecity.Thefarmalsosupportsa
GreenAmbassadorprogram,whichworkswithlocalcommunityleaders,teachingthemaboutthe
importanceoftheenvironmentandsustainabilitysothattheycanengendertheseideasintothe

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community.Inallthesewaysthefarmservestoreconnectpeoplewiththeconceptoffood
growth,sustainability,understandingofnatureandwherefoodcomesfrom.Whilenotsupplying
theactualnutrition,itchangespeoplesconnectiontofoodandproductivespaceandgivesthem
thechancetointeractinamoreindepthwaythanjustwalkingthroughorsittinginapark.

Plantingnewseeds
IftheUrbanenvironmentisarelationalconcept,withnecessarilysubjectiveandmoralvalues
attachedtoitscreation,thenitcanbeimpliedthatbyadjustingourvaluesandchangingourway
ofunderstandingandrelatingtotheurbanenvironmentwecancreatemoreequitableplaces.
EnriquePenelosa,mayorofBogota,hassaid,Citiesareaboutawayoflife...Peoplebehavethe
waytheyaretreatedandifthecitytreatsthemwelltheyrespondinkind[Therefore]wehaveto
createasocietywhereotherthingsarevalued(E2,n.d.).Thephysicalwayweconstructthecity
isimportantbecauseitisasymbolofourvalues.UrbanModernityisaparticularsetofprocesses
ofsociometabolictransformations[that]promisesexactlythepossibilityoftheactive,democratic
andempoweringcreationofthosesociophysicalenvironmentswewishtoinhabit,andhuman
agentsaredifferentfromotherformsoflifeintheirorganiccapacitytowishdifferently,to
imaginedifferentpossiblefutures,toactdifferentlyinwaysdrivenandshapedbyhumandrives,
desires,andimaginations.(Swyngedow,2006,p24)Whatwebuildisaphysicalmanifestationof
ourvalues,recreatedthroughouttimeandreinforcedbythatwhichwecreate.Thisiswhythe
historicalseparationofmanandnaturehasprovensodetrimental.Whenweseparatefrom
natureweseparateourselvesliterallyfromthatwhichweneedtoproduceandreproduce.

Wehavetheabilitytomoveforwardfromhere,tomakeurbanfarming,asfarmacology,anew
polemicagainsttheseparationofsocietyfromnature.Societiesandindividualshaveaninherent
andinseparableroleincreatingtheurbanenvironmentsaroundthem.Allsocietiesareinthe

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processofcreatingandrecreatingtheirnaturalenvironments,andbecauseofthisoururban
environmentsreflectbacka"naturalizationofthesocialassumptionsthatsculptedsuch
landscapesinthefirstplace.(Smith,2006,p.xiv)Wecreatenewvaluesthiswayandengender
themovertime.Pounds(2007)hascalledHackneyCityfarmalearningopportunityasaliving
exhibit.Itisasymbolandalivingsocionaturethatisconstantlyredevelopingandhastheability
torecreateitself,andtosetanexampleforthecreationofothersimilarplaces.Therefore,ifwe
revolutionizeourwaysofthinkingabouttheurbanenvironmentandourcitieswecantransform
theplaceswecreate.

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Appendix1
GraphsofLandUseInHackney

Land Use (Square metres (m2))

Region

Total Area of All Land Types

Area of Domestic Gardens
Area of Green space

London
394,440.50
94,061.74
150,773.84

Hackney
4,709.32
872.36
1,093.95

Tower Hamlets
6,097.81
448.22
926.92

As a percentage of All Land

Types
Area of Domestic Gardens
Area of Green space

London
23.85%
38.22%

Hackney
18.52%
23.23%

Tower Hamlets
7.35%
15.20%

Area per Person

London

Hackney

Tower Hamlets

Population
Area of Domestic Gardens
Area of Green space

7,619,800
0.05
0.08

London Borough

212,200
0.02
0.02

220,500.0
0.01
0.02

17

Appendix2

18

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